


Second Chances

by greylina



Series: Lifetimes [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: AU - Look in Notes, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 10:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11160351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greylina/pseuds/greylina
Summary: The rebirth of Hyrule didn't always rest solely on the shoulders of the Hero and the Princess - Every now and then, an iteration of the old legends would come where a third soul would be included in the story. The young Ganon, the spirited and long-prophesied boy of the highly revered Gerudo, shouldered the weight of the demon Calamity, allowing himself to be the vessel the Goddesses needed to carry out the beginning of the new age of Hyrule. It was his love for his dear friends who would convince him to take on his role in the millennia old cycle of the kingdom.It has been at least 10,000 years since he has set foot in Hyrule, his body and soul free of the contamination of Calamity, and his memories wiped clean.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Some background about the AU (it'll be clearer as you read the prologue!): 
> 
> The au is based on the vagueness of the legend that supplements Breath of the Wild and my refusal to believe that Nintendo would do us dirty and not give us the character depth of Ganon. He's NOT just a pig, Nintendo, thank you very much. The idea is that in the age where Calamity first attacked Hyrule, it possessed the body of the young Gerudo Ganon, who understood his role in the legends and let it happen. His willingness to let it happen was due to his friends - Link, and Zelda, who with Ganon, were known as the Three Golden Children of Hyrule. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this fic! I've been playing around with it for weeks now and I'm excited to write it. It's also very OT3, hence all the relationship tags, and I'll do my best to include lots of other characters in the fic for indulgent goodness. It's all told in Ganon's POV, so hopefully that's some good!

prologue.

When a child, one thinks nothing of the corruption in the world. The problems parents worry over are nothing - The worst one ever had to worry about was who they were sharing their toys with.

As the son of a traveling merchant, Ganon had few toys. In fact, he had few possessions, but they were fantastic ones. He had a wooden scimitar, gilded with small jewels and engraved with words dear to the Gerudo, he had a beautifully carved wooden soldier, dressed in the same silks that the Gerudo soldiers wore, and he had a golden bracelet, and decorating it were three brilliant stones - A fiery ruby, a deep sapphire, and a sparkling emerald. These three items were, to him, the whole world.

And he shared this world with two other children whom he loved.

Although he was the son of a merchant, Ganon was revered among his people as a prince - It is very rare for a male Gerudo to come into Gerudo society, and when he does, it is the cause of celebration. Rebirth is the thought that runs through every Gerudo woman’s mind. It is not having a prince that brings joy to the Gerudo - Rather, it is the celebration of the boy’s acceptance of who he is, who he was always meant to be.

And so, Ganon’s boyhood earned him the reputation of a legend amongst the peoples of Hyrule, and he often found himself in the company of the princess and her appointed knight-to-be. These children where those of whom he shared his bright and glistening world with. They were, to him, the dearest friends any boy could ever ask for.

The dear Princess Zelda was a lovely girl of extraordinary talent and knowledge. For a girl of a mere eight years of age, she knew a lot about the secrets of the castle - She knew every hidden passage, every one that was forgotten and just remembered. It would be her knowledge that would make the grand and stately Hyrule Castle into their own playground.

And often found with her was the brave and courageous Link, her appointed knight-to-be. He was of a modest family of soldiers and knights, and they were all brave people. Link, in particular, was a fighter of a different caliber, and was most impressive because of his age. He had a golden heart, pure and glimmering, and hoped only to protect the land he was born on. He was also a quiet boy - Often shy and reserved around others, but never around Ganon and Zelda. To them, he spoke much of food and stories and the many animals he was lucky to see on his way to the castle.

Ganon thought much of them, a bright smile on his face as he began his way through the castle square. His mother bade him a sweet goodbye, and to meet with her in their room in the castle by sundown. The boy laughed - He would be among friends until sunrise!

The guards made haste to open the doors for the boy. The servants all made respectful bows as he ran by. Even the great King Rhoam moved to greet the boy, but him and everyone else were left unnoticed. He walked briskly past them, his grin ever growing wider, and finally he ran past open doors, right into bright blue fabric, and a joyful shriek, and a heartfelt yell, and it was like the whole world came crashing down, except it was happy and bright and innocent.

And it was hours of laughter and play for the three golden children of Hyrule.

In my captivity, I have thought often of these children. In my youth, my hair a fiery collection of twists, I was proud and adventurous. I understood my place in Gerudo society - I was a sort of legend to my people. I was outspoken about myself, declaring myself as a prince at a young age. The entire town, you can imagine, was quite taken with me.

I think they were very quick to treat me like a prince, too. Revered by such a small society, I like to think that I made quite a name for myself. I urged my mother to let me travel, and upon being gifted beautiful things by the Chief herself, I was allowed to set out into the world. To come out, as someone I knew I was.

It were my travels that let me meet the warmest souls mine have ever touched. Where I was no doubt pride, my friends were courage, and then kindness. The young knight Link and the radiant Princess Zelda, were my dearest friends, though I rarely saw them.

Their presence in my life would change me - Though, I wonder until today, whether or not it was for the better, or for the worst.

Not long after my exposure to what was beyond Gerudo Town’s walls, I had what I called then an imaginary friend. He was devilish, to say the least. He’d coax me into mischief, and when I was older, he seduced me into evil.

The oracles called him _Calamity._ I called him a friend.

And how foolish I was, having done so. Had I refused his temptations when I was younger, I might have saved the tragedy that would befall me and my friends. I might have saved us the problem of our cycle - That I was the vessel of evil, reborn, that Zelda would fulfill her duties as the Golden Princess, and that my beloved Link would again accept the burden of savior.

But, I liked the power.

When I grew and my imaginary friend’s voice became louder, I understood that something was amiss. I knew that my temptations into thievery, deceit, were not typical of the honorable Gerudo woman. I knew that I often disliked the things I did, and yet, the thrill of _power_ they gave me kept urging me on.

I stole a royal jewel from the Princess’s quarters. With guilt, I confessed to my dear friend, and her being so wise and gentle and _kind,_ she told me not to worry. I then told her of everything, of the friend I kept, of the deeds I had done. We were quiet. She told me to follow her to the Royal Oracle - Then, the Queen of Hyrule.

It was the horror in her expression paired with the solemn understanding of the youthful Princess, that led me to understand that the old legends would be born anew.

“We will need to prepare,” the Oracle said, kneeling down before me and pulling me into her arms. “You are a child yet, and you may be saved, but if Calamity has become as prominent as you describe, then I fear the worst.”

I was a prince. I thought of my Link - I would be brave.

She turned to Zelda, then. “My dear, this is your battle, I am afraid. I urge you to find Impa at once and bring her to me.”

The years following this was a blur to me.

The Sheikah were quick to gather forces. They were an enormous tribe whose establishments I would see often in my travels. Among them were certain _Elites_ \- Warriors and thinkers and philosophers, leaders who would be able to protect the Kingdom and the Family for as long as they were around. Their population made most of the nobles in the Castle, and many of them made their own army who vowed unbreakable loyalty to Hyrule.

I had heard that Link had been taken in by warriors to begin his training. It broke my heart that he knew his role in all of this.

The thinkers and the philosophers gathered together to create _machinery,_ things that would protect the peoples of Hyrule. They started with spider-like beings capable of creating burning beams of light, but their masterwork were four giant works of machinery, fashioned specifically for chosen champions of the different populace of Hyrule. They were known amongst us as the Divine Beasts.

Vah Medoh, for the Rito.

Vah Ruta, for the Zora.

Vah Rudania, for the Gorons.

And Vah Naboris, for my people, the Gerudo.

She was spectacular in my eyes, and I envied our champion for having control over her. She towered above the expanse of the desert, roamed among the sand dunes as though they were made for her. I loved her, loved the beauty the Sheikah gave her, and wished that she would be mine to control. I asked my Champion to let me tour it, once, but the Sheikah stopped us before she let me in. They warned us against the exposure of Calamity to the technology that would cast him away.

“Ganon is a _boy,_ ” my Champion argued. “He would not allow the demon this.”

I looked at her, saddened, because that was exactly what the demon wanted her to say. “It is alright, Nabooru. The Sheikah are right.”

I have since longed to be inside the beautiful Beast, to captain it myself. I wondered, would I have been Champion of the Gerudo had it not been for my already-established role in the legends?

The years after my confession consisted of me being kept in the Castle. I was not locked away in a tower, although looking back, I may as well have been. Few knew of my ailment, my upcoming sins. Zelda, the Queen, Impa, and a few other Elite Sheikah knew. But they were not untruthful to the people - They told everyone that a dark force was coming, and the old legends would become anew.

During all this, I was tutored in the arts of meditation - The only way that would buy the Sheikah more time to prepare for Calamity. I listened diligently - Perhaps it was my own innocence and eagerness to help the kingdom that made the difference between triumph and defeat. Imagine that, the whole world’s safety resting on the shoulders of a boy.

But no. I knew, even then, that it rested on the shoulders of me and my friends. The Golden Children of Hyrule. I was the most ready of us to take on my role, but I knew that the other two were not. Link had yet to prove himself to be the next wielder of the Sword, and Zelda had yet to master her control over the Golden Power.

It was my love for them that bought us so much time.

I learned to allow myself peace while Calamity attempted to serve turmoil. My thoughts of Link and Zelda battled feverishly against his thoughts of power, destruction, and rule. I loved my friends. I loved power. I loved too many things at once, and so I learned to love silence.

Zelda came to visit me one day in the tower. We were both fifteen at the time, too young still to fight, but nearing the age where we would have to fulfill our roles. I wasn’t sure if it was _me_ and my own Goddess given body, or Calamity’s fiery response, but I sensed in Zelda an airy lightness. She had grown in power. She was nearly ready.

We spoke over tea.

“I miss when we were younger,” she confessed, pouring the two of us each a cup. “Link does too. He writes me, often, you know, and wishes to write you too. He misses you.”

I smiled at that. I missed him dearly, myself. “I imagine your advisors have some say in me not receiving any letters?”

She nodded. “It’s a miracle I’m even allowed to see you. I worry about you, up here and all alone. But I’m ready to save you, and you know I’d trade the world for you.”

I laughed, gruff and weak and sad. “You should be careful of your words, your highness. You are to be Queen. You have a responsibility.”

“But I am also your _friend,_ Ganon. You are asking me to forget that?”

“I’m not the one asking,” I said, eyes downcast. “The Goddesses demand it of us.”

Defeated, we sipped the rest of our tea in silence. As she left, she dropped a folded piece of paper on a table. I never read it, though I knew who it was from. My heart still aches thinking of the sweet words that my Courage left for me.

I was eighteen when my difficulties turned for the worst. The world had changed dramatically, towers have risen and shrines have been made. The Sheikah roamed everywhere, warning and comforting and protecting the people they have been sworn to protect. Whispers grew into loud chatter - _Calamity is coming, we are all doomed._

Calamity was indeed coming, and I, more than anyone, was doomed.

It began with indescribable pains.

“Fire, _fire!”_ I cried out, my body writhing in pain and my tears welling in my eyes. My arms, my legs - It felt like they were shackled, I could not move them. A horrible, burning sensation climbed the lengths of my limbs, singeing me with excruciating horror, despite the fact that my skin remained unmarked.

Weeks later, I was _glowing_ red. My eyes would burn, and I’d feel a sick sensation rolling over my body. I felt like I was being _consumed,_ like the whole world was turning into a sickening, burning red, and I could do nothing but watch.

I began to lose control over myself. My childish want for power became an ancient desire for destruction, and I knew, then, that I was becoming less myself and more Calamity. Everyone who has allowed to see me knew that.

The first blood I took was my mother’s. She did not die by my hand - The Sheikah saved her at the brink of death, and I have never since her since. Calamity’s will against her added to my growing guilt. I was losing my hold against the demon, and I knew it was a matter of time.

A few more weeks after that, Calamity killed the Queen. By then, my dark skin became tar. My room in the castle felt like a hot cave in the crevices of Death Mountain. The Queen’s body laid in the center as a mass of light, but Calamity consumed it more than eagerly.

Would you believe that Zelda and Link still wished to save me?

Calamity grew impatient. _I_ grew impatient. The time for destruction was nearing. The time for the Age of Calamity was coming. _I_ was ready to fulfill my role, as I had been for many, many years. And I didn’t realize how eager I was to get started.

I broke out of confinement with incredible ease, my braids flying about around me as I strode past the locked doors and the bodies of Sheikah warriors. Calamity raised my hand and swung, and blue fire stroke against the warriors and pushed them out of my way.

I didn’t realize how much I had grown in captivity. My hips had widened, and I found my strides to be more commanding. I swayed here, and there, embracing the power and confidence my Gerudo features offered me. I towered over people, and I loved it. I looked down on everyone I saw. I reveled in my body, I enjoyed the terror I was creating. But Calamity had bigger plans.

Dark clouds had begun to surround the Castle, and equal parts of me shuddered in both excitement and guilt as the screams of the townspeople reached my ears. Calamity seemed to _purr_ in delight, and red lightning struck the castle several times. We summoned beasts of our own - Moblins and bokoblins and lizalfos and lynels stormed the castle walls, battling against the might of Guardians.

We were not at the peak of our power, yet, however.

We made our way into the throne room. The gilded seat stood there, empty, and I hummed in delight as Calamity moved my legs towards it. One step after another, I gazed at this golden seat, knowing that for moments, this would be mine. _Hyrule,_ would be mine.

Calamity grew.

I sat down. I was burning, but I was used to this. I breathed. I meditated. I thought of Link, and of Zelda. I thought of myself.

_We will wait._

The beast _roared_ in anger - He had thought he had found complete control, but not yet. I could still fight. I could still buy time. Even if it were just a day or a month more, I had enough in me to demand more time out of our roles. I had to give my friends a chance to fulfill their duties, after all. It is what the Goddesses would have wanted of me.

He tethered me to the throne, he shot a dark, red orb of energy that expanded throughout all of Hyrule. _Fine._ So we waited. I felt the pulsing heat of the Divine Beasts directed at me, one by one. I felt the gathering of Guardians, their eyes focused only on me. I felt the panic die down and the hope rise.

Months later, they finally showed themselves.

I cried, I think. I saw them grown and older and weary and terribly hopeful. I wanted to stand, but my tar skin and my fire eyes stayed tethered to the throne.

“Link, Zelda,” I managed to say, at least. They looked broken, recognizing immediately the voice that was still mine. “You’ve come for me.”

Calamity’s hiss reached towards them, surrounding their bodies with hot magic. Zelda was the first to speak. “You will let him _go,_ Calamity.”

“Will I?” came the bemused whisper around us.

I looked to Link, who stood staring at me. He held the Sword of legend, as I knew he would. He was garbed in green, just as the legends described him. He looked like he was heartbroken, just as he knew I did too.

My Hero. Hyrule’s Savior.

“Why don’t we play a game?” I asked, my resolve weakening. Calamity’s fire seemed to dance around me. It was time. “Let’s play pretend.”

Zelda looked like she was about to cry.

“I’ll play Ganon. I’ll be the vessel of evil,” I said, and I felt the demon take more control of me. “Zelda, you’ll be the Golden Princess. You know that best. And Link, you’ll be the Legendary Hero. You look the part.”

I was no longer tethered to the throne.

“Save Hyrule.” Were my last words to them, before Calamity consumed me entirely.

I have since remained captive in black fire, and loneliness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young man wakes up to a world anew, and promptly begins his task of remembrance.

“ _Wake up._ ”

Warmth.

“ _Wake up, you’ve been sleeping an awfully long time._ ”

My eyes open slowly, I register my surroundings. I am wearing warm clothes, I am sitting in a soft mat. I am bathed in light. I am no longer in captivity.

I am alive.

“I thought you would wake up if I coaxed you gently.” I look at the girl beside me, take in her gold hair, her bright blue eyes. “You’ve been asleep for a long time, I was worried.”

I am stunned. Had they succeeded?

They must have.

“Goddesses,” I breathe, and I reach out and take her in my arms. She smells of the fresh air, she smells of pumpkin soup. Her hair is soft, her hands soothe. “Goddesses, you _saved me._ Calamity is gone?”

“Sealed,” she says to me, “Away, forever. He will not bring terror to Hyrule again. Are you well? What is your name?”

I am stunned, once again. I open my mouth, I begin to speak, and I find that I myself do not remember. Strange. I knew the woman’s name, didn’t I? I should know myself, surely. She seems to notice my dilemma immediately, and hushes me into not worrying.

“Worry not. You can take your time remembering who you are,” She tells me, and I believe her, wholeheartedly. Then, she looks stern, concerned. “But you must have had quite the story. We found you lying in the fields after Calamity was sealed away. There were traces of his corruption on your body. Do you remember anything about that?”

Corruption?

“I.. I remember being consumed. It was painful, like being engulfed in fire over and over again. But I don’t remember how, or why.” I look at her, searching for answers that maybe she would have. But her furrowed brows tell me otherwise, and I set my eyes downcast and accept my sentence of confusion and unknowing. “Perhaps it is for the better that I do not remember.”

She seemed to have accepted that, though sadly, and settled beside me with a bowl of food in her lap. I reached out to take it, a childish notion I felt that said - _No, I want to feed myself._ The girl seemed amused by my actions, and let me do as I wished. We sat in quiet company for a moment longer, then she excused herself.

“Your name,” I say, before she leaves the room.

“Zelda.”

It reminds me of light. I smile.

“Thank you, Zelda.”

Familiarity would define my life after my awakening. . My days spent after that were something like a routine. I would wake, converse with Zelda, and sometimes I would venture out of the cottage to roam the village. It was named Kakariko, and it reminded me much of the rustling of leaves. _Kakariko,_ I would say, curling my toes and feeling the damp ground beneath me. I would listen to the wind whistling through the trees, feel the cool air tickle my skin. I felt like I was returning somewhere, though where exactly, I knew not.

But I liked the routine. It gave me some kind of control over my own life. I knew what to do next, I knew what to prepare for. I dressed early in the morning and I walked in the dimming light of the late noon. I enjoyed, really. It was a wonderful time and I liked learning things. I had yet to relearn anything, however, and there was very little in terms of memories that I recovered.

Of what I recovered, most were odd little things. I remembered that I enjoyed food with a certain _electrifying_ spark. I remembered that I liked the color red, and I remembered that I liked to tend to my hair. Zelda once teased me for it, actually, but was entranced by the apparent mastery I had over the twists of my hair. She was marveled, once, watching me, and I indulged her in narrating my work.

I found that I enjoyed her company greatly. I learned a lot of her past, and though she never explicitly said it, I eventually pieced together that she was a princess. And a princess of legend, no less.

I prided myself in being in the comfortable and friendly presence of a princess.

And what confidence that little revelation gave me! I began to carry myself as if I was a prince. I would offer my arm to the princess when we would walk outside. I would pretend to waltz with her (how I even knew how to, I figured, was due to muscle memory), and I would confide in her secrets that would crop from the vast emptiness of my memory.

“I’m afraid of horses,” I told her one day. We’re at a shooting range, and she’s firing arrows faster than I can blink. “I don’t think I know why.”

She laughed at my confession, and I frowned, aiming for an arrow of hers that’s met the dead center of the target. I miss, embarrassingly. “So you remember that, but not your name?”

“Mind your own business.” I scoff.

I did better on my second attempt. I reveled in her laughter.

Some days, I would be without her company. She was still Queen of the still rebuilding Hyrule, and had many responsibilities to her name. She would leave me a lovely note by me bedside, and I would not see her for the rest of the day. Sometimes, it was a week. Once, it was a month. But I knew she was busy, and I was not surprised by it at all. From a certain clearing in the village, I saw the fruits of her hard work. When the afternoon was quiet enough, you could hear the faint cheers and chatter of proud Hylians rebuilding the pride of the land - Hyrule Castle.

For a moment, I thought I was amongst the chatter.

Remembering myself and who I was was turning out to be a very tiring task, I noticed, but it was one that seemed to keep me tethered to it. There was something incredibly important that I seemed to be missing, and it annoyed me day and night to not remember it. I knew that otherwise I would have been fine to remake myself as a new person, start at the first step without thought of what came before, but there was a need I could not ignore.

And so my perfect, clean, routinely life became tormented by a desire I could not yet pin. I would wake in the morning, my thoughts immediately being consumed by a want to discover. I would walk the perimeter of Kakariko and the extent of the fields beyond it for as far as I was able, but only to return unsatisfied. I would devour the food that Paya, the dear girl who tended to the Princess and I, would diligently make for use all. I was tethered. Trapped. I was tempted.

Zelda returned from her month long trip a while after my itching frustrations began.

She had, with him, a man. I thought him to be pretty, at best.

“My friend,” she greeted me, and pulled me into her arms in a warm embrace while I kept a curious stare at the man with her. “This is someone who I’ve longed for you to meet. He carried you to Kakariko when we found you fallen at the battlefield.”

He smiled. Oh, _very_ pretty, then. “Link. I hope you have been well.”

Link.

The name gave me the same warmth Zelda’s did.

“I have, thank you. I’ve been recovering well. So well, in fact,” and I directed my next words to Zelda, pleadingly. “That I’ve become restless here.”

That earns me a bemused chuckle from Link. I smirk at the sound.

I pay close attention to the way they interact with each other. They’re close, and anybody could see that. The way Zelda looked at Link like he’s her whole world, and the way Link looked at Zelda like she’s the most precious thing he’d seen. Something about they way they regard each other tugs at my heart.

I didn’t want to call it envy. It didn’t seem right.

But I wouldn’t deny the want I felt when I watched them, close and in each others’ arms all the time. I wanted a part of the love that they shared.

I approached Link the next day, demanding of him time and amusement.

“Spar with me,” I said. I brandished a wooden sword I found lying around Kakariko. Link, surprised, but not unwilling, caught the other wooden sword that I tossed at him.

And so, for that afternoon, we danced.

He was _incredibly_ fast, and knew how to counter and defend with as little movement as possible. His feet were so sure and steady, never once letting him loose balance. His eyes were focused on me, the entirety of _me,_ and it felt like he knew every action that I would take. I found in him a suitable dance partner, and I enjoyed the twists and turns and twirls that we did together, swords hitting with sharp thuds - Clangs, had they been made of metal.

I, the other half of this dance of swords and merriment, was surprisingly skilled with the sword as well. My feet were lighter than his, finding purchase and balance in stances where they should not. I was the true dancer in our duet, and I enjoyed it greatly. I fancied myself to be quite a merry and talented prince in my forgotten life, with the way I was bounding from one side to another, laughing as I attacked, and attacked, and attacked.

I loved this. I loved this new discovery of myself. I felt like a new person, bounding about around Link and seeing that he, too, was enjoying this just as much as I was.

He caught me at the neck, my sword’s edge falling to the damp earth beneath us.

“Alright, fair, I concede,” I sighed dramatically, pushing the weapon away while I enjoyed his laughter. “I should thank you. I discovered something knew about myself.”

He cocked his head. “That you’re no match for me?”

I tapped a finger towards him. “That was completely uncalled for, I think I’ll tell on you to her highness,” I tsk-ed. “I discovered that I liked to fight. And that I was _taught_ to fight. That means I had a warrior’s background.”

He hummed, nodding in agreement. We sat down together at a bench nearby. “You have a powerful hand. I think a scimitar would suit you. Have you ever been to Gerudo Town?”

Gerudo Town. “I think so. It would certainly explain my appearance, although, I don’t believe they’ve any men in their population.”

“No, they don’t,” Link sighed. He tapped at the bench. “You mentioned growing restless here, in Kakariko. What if you need to explore Hyrule? Remember yourself outside the village?”

I leaned against the edge of the table behind us. Well, he certainly had a point. There was only so much I could do in this village, and I was certainly _not_ going to live off of a diet of pumpkins and carrots for the rest of my living days.

“I woke up from a hundred year long slumber without any memory of myself. I was lucky that the princess had prepared for it, leaving me a slate with images to remember certain parts of my life. But it was traveling Hyrule that allowed me to remember myself.”

So he and the princess were both out of their times.

“Were you a knight, Link?”

“Of a sort. I was appointed to the princess upon the discovery of my role in the legends. Calamity Ganon was nearing its awakening.”

I furrowed my brows. Calamity Ganon.

“The Legendary Hero,” I sighed, shaking my head. I had pieced that together already, as well. “You and the Princess are very close. Childhood friends?”

“Oh, no,” He laughed sheepishly. “She hated me for a while, after I became her appointed knight. We grew closer as Calamity grew stronger. We are very good friends, now, however.”

“Lovers?” He cleared his throat, embarrassed, but shook his head regardless. I took his silence for ambiguity, and smirked to myself. “I won’t pry you for more. She’s very kind, and very warm. I’m lucky to have been made her friend.”

Needless to say, I was completely endeared with the boy.

The following week I was given the opportunity to accompany Zelda and Link on their trips to nearby camps and bases. Much of Zelda’s plan for a new Hyrule was creating new towns, or otherwise expanding and improving existing ones. She wanted to usher in a new age for the millennia old kingdom, and decided that trying to rebuild the old for nostalgia’s sake would be more for her sake than for the people currently living. I had no idea that it was her way of letting go of the past.

I carried myself as though I were an advisor, though I felt more like an honored guest than anything. Not that it irked me - I enjoyed parading around in slightly fancier wear, I enjoyed speaking with locals and guards and conversing with them about what they did, and above all, I enjoyed being able to spend time with Zelda and Link. Although they were undoubtedly busy with work, I got to follow them and see their passion for what they did.

It was… Enthralling.

Zelda was truly fit to be a leader. Around me, she was so casual and sweet. She joked and poked and shared stories about nearly everything. Around the people she was commanding, she seemed to be a general of her own merit. Her often soft expression would be stern, serious; She was intimidatingly witty, too. There was a conversation, once, where many of us were cheerful of some plan and making jokes about it, and Zelda, bless her, joined in with a joke of her own, but delivered it in such a way that nearly everyone shut up and went to work right after.

I thought it was marvelous, really. She was so level headed, so serious, and had little patience for mistake. She was no doubt understanding of a mishap here and there. But under her careful eye, it seemed like everyone knew _not_ to make a single misstep.

It must have been stressful. And it was. Being with her so often, and being so _close,_ I saw how it affected her, and how hard she tried not to let it show.

“You won’t build it in a day, you know.” I told her, the two of us taking a break under the shade of a tent. I spied the royal insignia embroidered on it. “You saved the kingdom over the span of one hundred years, you can rebuild it for as long as it takes.”

Her posture relaxed, and she _slumped_ over, resting her chin on her hand. “To be fair, one hundred years went by _very_ quickly for me.”

We both laughed. “You’ll get wrinkles frowning about it, though. Don’t be so impatient. Allow yourself the time you need.”

“My friend, I believe that I’m _far_ overdue for wrinkles anyhow.” She shrugged, and straightened her posture again. “How are you feeling? Are you enjoying being out of Kakariko?”

“Oh, greatly,” I said, sighing. It was my turn to slouch, and I leaned towards her and reached for her arm, giving it a thankful squeeze. She smiled, affectionate. “Most of what I’ve felt so far is a feeling of having been… here before, really. I think I traveled as a youth.”

Her interested was piqued. “I bet you’ve seen everything the world had to offer.”

“That’s a nice thought,” I said. “I hope I did. I don’t remember much, obviously, but every now and then I would walk down a path and I would think of a young boy and his mother.”

“Yours?”

I smiled. Nodded. “I hope so. I believe she had fiery red hair, thick and coarse, but styled into a large ponytail. And I think she was the one who taught me to fight. A true mother, kind and honest and loving.”

Zelda smiled at that. “My mother died when I was very young,” She told me. I furrowed my brows at that. “I was to begin my studies as her heir. A fatal sickness took her, and I was left to my own devices for much of my life.”

“I’m sorry.”

She waved my concern away, smiling. “I had my time to grieve. Do you remember more of your mother?”

I looked at her, uneasy at how quick she was to change the subject, but I nodded nonetheless. “I can’t recall anything too specific, but I remember always being cared for. Warm hugs, soft kisses. A mother’s touch.”

She seemed to me satisfied with my memories, and let the conversation silence for the mean time. We enjoyed the breeze. I fiddled with my fingers.

“You know, Princess,” I sighed. “Not much feels right. Every building I’ve seen so far, even the ruins, seem so new. Besides the Temple of Time and the castle, I think, everything seems to me to be out of place.”

Zelda cupped her chin. “Well it has been at lease one hundred years since you last stepped foot in Hyrule, correct? Perhaps you’re just out of touch?”

I sat there and considered it. I shook my head. “I don’t believe that to be it at all.” She regarded me curiously, and I scratched my wrist, uneasy under her stern gaze. “One hundred years does not seem right.”

“Tell me.”

“The Towers. Something about them feels _too_ familiar to me. I’ve seen them before, I think I saw them _before_ my corruption.”

“If you were corrupted a hundred years ago, then you wouldn’t have been able to see them.” Zelda and I looked up, and smiled upon seeing Link. He nodded his greeting, then turned to me again. “The Towers all went up within the last hundred years since Calamity’s return, and there were no records of them for quite some time before that.”

Ten thousand years, in fact. I shrugged. “Perhaps I am just out of touch.”

Link frowned, shaking his head. “Don’t second guess your feelings on our account.”

“We only wish to help you, you know that.” Zelda added. I smiled at both of them. “Link _does_ have a point, however. As far as any records should go, history says that the last time the Towers were above ground was a long, _long_ time ago.”

We all seemed to consider my plight in silence. Link clapped his hands. “You’ve only seen Necluda and Central Hyrule so far, though.”

“You _have!_ ” Zelda exclaimed, and I grinned at her cheer. “I’m meeting with the Zora King very soon. You should accompany me, and while he and I speak you should explore the surrounding areas. Link spoke to me of your talents, I’m sure you’ll be fine, but if you need a guard just ask and I’ll grant it.”

They both looked at me, then, almost like two young children. I blinked, surprised, and nodded dumbly. “That sounds wonderful. I accept.” I said. Their reaction to that was most endearing - They looked at each other as if they’d accomplished the most _important_ task of their new lives.

With a crumbled Hyrule still surrounding us, I thought that was the most touching feeling I’ve had.

“You both care so much about me,” I said, sheepish. Zelda smiled warmly, and Link walked over to press a caring hand on my shoulder. “Why?”

“The three of us, we’re all very alike, you know.” The princess said. “We are all a step out of time.”

—

Zora’s Domain was breath taking.

We came well into the evening, when the luminous architecture made a grand spectacle of the city. It felt as though here, deep within the Lanayru region, an enormous comet made its home. I stared, awed by the glowing blue of each pillar we passed, and wondered just how long it took to perfect such a _masterful_ array of light. I knew the luminous stones, which were rich in quantity through out Hyrule, were deeply favored by the Zora, but for them to acquire so much to create their illustrious domain - I was floored.

Breath taking as it was, however, it was to all of our interest that we realized I had never seen the Domain with so grand an appearance. We inquired some time over our visit that it took nearly a thousand years to perfect the Domain and make it look as beautiful as it was.

“One thousand, they said,” Link scoffed. We were having a rather late dinner - Sliced pieces of raw fish arranged in a beautiful array atop glass plates. “You said you don’t remember seeing _any_ of these?”

“It’d be hard to forget something like this completely, I’d imagine. I wasn’t surprised that the Domain was so… _open,_ though. I’d read somewhere before, I think, that these people had lived in a system of caves before.”

“That’s extremely helpful. That puts you between one thousand years ago and ten thousand years ago.” Zelda mused, reaching over to pick up some pieces to plop in her mouth. She made a thoughtful noise. “It’s completely possible that Calamity escaped imprisonment since its first attack, although on a small scale. Perhaps enough to only attack a small region.”

“Or a secluded one,” Link hummed.

“I _am_ Gerudo,” I said, and rather proudly. It was the one thing about myself that I seemed so sure of, so it had to be true. “Perhaps I’ll find answers there.”

“Soon,” Zelda agreed. I reached for a piece of my own, seeing that Zelda was too, but Link had us both beat for time. I gave him a square glare while he swallowed a good few pieces of raw fish. “For _now,_ we can at least _enjoy_ our time in Zora’s Domain, can’t we, sir knight?”

“Not my fault you’re both too slow.” Was his indignant reply.

We ate some more, and activity around the castle slowed by the time we thought to sleep. Zelda was first to retire, citing an important meeting with the King Dorephan the next day. She took some time to take me aside and wish me the best of luck while I explored the rest of the Domain the next day, and promptly gave me an affectionate hug before exiting the room to go into her bedchamber. I turned, hoping to join Link once again at the apartment’s porch, only to find him already approaching the chamber door and stopping.

I regarded him curiously. “You take watch?”

He shrugged. “I am still the knight appointed,” He said simply, settling down to sit down. He leaned against the door, then patted the space beside him. I smiled, and sat down.

“There’s no threat in Hyrule now, however. The support must be overwhelming, knowing that the princess is alive and well.” Link shrugged at my words.

“You can never be too safe.”

“Do you sleep, then?” I asked.

“When I need to.” He stretched. “But I’m usually fine, regardless.”

We sat quietly. I watched him from the corner of my eye, and noticing that besides his passivity, there was incredible focus. His ears would twitch every now and then.

“You’re listening to her breathing,” I said, a little awed. I reached up and felt my smaller, rounded ears. Hylian’s blessed race was an interesting one.

“There’s only so much you _can_ listen to when you guard royalty,” He laughed, softly. “Your voice is a welcome one.”

My cheeks warmed, and I chuckled. “You care for her, very deeply.”

“She’s a dear friend.”

“More than that.”

“I’ve already told you, we are only very good friends.” He cleared his throat. I stared at him. “The love I have for her… The love we have for each other, it goes beyond romantic or platonic bonds. She and I are partners; The embodiment of Hylia and the Farore’s Hero. I’ve sworn my life to her, wholeheartedly, just as my predecessors have done and my descendants will do.”

“If she asked you, would you say no?”

He paused, furrowing his brows as he thought. It was to my surprise when he admitted, “I don’t know, actually.” I mumbled a soft _huh._ “I would do anything for her. I would stay beside her if that was what she wished. She has my devotion and my hand, should she have need of it.”

I felt a twinge of that want I felt before.

“I wanted to tell you before,” Link said, as though he noticed my desire. “There’s something familiar about you. When we found you after Calamity, the Princess and I were drawn to you. We thought we _knew_ you.”

“But you couldn’t have. Otherwise you would have known.” I said. I felt a warmth in my chest, however.

“Except…” Link pursed his lips, and made a vague gesture. “It is known that the legends are a cycle of some sort. Perhaps the coming of a danger to Hyrule is the Goddesses’ way of ushering a new age for the kingdom. Perhaps the land is simply cursed to face demons like Calamity over, and over, again.”

I didn’t say anything, and merely waved for him to continue.

“There are numerous iterations of the Hero, just as there are numerous iterations of the Princess,” he said. “Couldn’t it be… Possible that we met? In a different life?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank youuuuuuu for reading! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a kudos or a comment if you liked it!! ;v;


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